‘I’m Not an Artist’ Trailer: Haley Joel Osment Joins RZA’s Cult of Creatives

There’s meta and then there’s meta meta.

The latest indie feature from director/actress Alexi Pappas mocks the very idea of creating…well, anything. Pappas and Jeremy Teicher helm “I’m Not An Artist” from a script they co-wrote with “Veep” alum Matt Walsh, who also stars.

“I’m Not An Artist” centers on a artist-in-residency program overseen by an enigmatic patron (RZA) who may or may not be a cult leader. Per the official synopsis, the film follows “artists in turmoil who face a make-or-break ultimatum: unlock their full creative potential or abandon art forever. Yet, the unexpected intrusion of an outsider (Walsh) jeopardizes the program’s delicate balance.”

Haley Joel Osment, Rosalind Chao, Cleopatra Coleman, Paul Lieberstein, and Robert Schwartzman, whose Utopia is releasing the film, also star. Schwartzman founded Utopia in 2019, and has distributed films such as “Divinity” and “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” and contributed marketing support to Francis Ford Coppola‘s “Megalopolis.” Schwartzman is the nephew of Coppola.

“I’m Not An Artist” is actor Osment’s second cult-esque film of the year: Osment donned another monochromatic look for thriller “Blink Twice.” The “The Sixth Sense” icon will next appear in “Wednesday” Season 2, along with Steve Buscemi, Thandiwe Newton, and original “Addams Family” actor Christopher Lloyd.

Wu-Tang Clan star RZA has been a staple in Hollywood for years, and even famously shadowed Quentin Tarantino on the sets of both “Kill Bill” films and “Death Proof.” In addition to scoring “Kill Bill: Vol. 1,” “Blade: Trinity,” “Roxanne Roxanne,” and more films, RZA made his directorial debut with “The Man with the Iron Fists” from a script he co-wrote with his fellow “Death Proof” alum Eli Roth.

RZA said in 2018 that his mentor Tarantino came to the set for his “The Man with the Iron Fists” remake and “patted me on the back and was like, ‘The student has now become a master. Do your thing.’”

He went on to later helm “Love Beats Rhymes” and “Cut Throat City.”

“I’m Not An Artist” premieres January 31 digitally from Utopia, with a preview event on 1/27 at the Dynasty Typewriter theater in Los Angeles. Check out the trailer below and preorder the film here.